Celebrate a ‘home away from home’ Christmas

There’s only three days till Christmas! Have you made plans about where you’ll be celebrating the holidays? Home may be where the heart is, and where Christmas should be celebrated, but that may not always be the case.

A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS CARD. One of the few ways of letting your family know you’re okay is by sending them a Christmas card. Image grabbed from Wikimedia Commons

One of the many things that always get in the way of celebrating Christmas with your family is your work. If you’re an expat who’s hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away from home, here are three tips on how you can celebrate your ‘home away from home’ Christmas:

DECORATE. Decorating your apartment or condo unit to look like your home country will give you a sense of Christmas spirit you used to enjoy at home. You can either buy decorations from local stores or get creative and make them from scratch!

A BIT OVER THE TOP? Perhaps, but if it reminds you of home, then go right ahead. Photo by Petr Kratochvil, grabbed from Free Stock Photos.biz

While you’re at it, play some Christmas tunes from your home country or watch movies and TV shows you used to watch during Christmas with your family and friends.

COMMUNICATE. We understand that the speeds you get from local internet service providers aren’t the best, but a lot of Filipinos (especially families of OFWs) make do with what they are given. Take advantage of this by having your family from your home country set up a Skype or Facebook video call as you count down the seconds to Christmas.

Don’t forget to call them during Christmas morning, too!

CELEBRATE. Yes, this is all about celebrations, but we’re not talking about anything simple. If you’ve spent a good amount of time in the Philippines, chances are you’ve already made friends. Let them experience “Christmas the <insert your home country here> way” by having a small, themed get-together on Christmas Eve.

SERVE YOUR FAVORITES! A small party is sometimes all it takes to remind you of home. Image from picjumbo.com via Pexels

Wear clothes you’d normally wear during Christmas (the more presentable ones, of course), cook your favorite Christmas meals, play games from your home country, teach them how you say “Merry Christmas”, and have as much fun as humanly possible!

Christmas away from home need not be lonely; all it needs is a bit of creativity. Make sure you get everything on video as well, so you can share them with your family once you fly home for a well deserved break!